Rotterdam elections: ‘Too close to call’

3 March 2010

ROTTERDAM - The Rotterdam municipal elections ended in a climax. Not only at the end of election night is still not clear who can call the largest party in Rotterdam; Livable or the Labor Party. There are numerous irregularities in polling stations.

It made for a rather unreal situation in the Reception Room of the Rotterdam city hall. Neither side dared to label himself as a winner. Het was ‘too close to call’, omschreef een van de aanwezigen met een vergelijking naar Amerikaanse presidentsverkiezingen.

Vooral bij Leefbaar is er veel onvrede over het verloop bij de verkiezingen vandaag. According candidate Councilor Ronald Buijtenland several people went to some places in the same voting booth and vote would be recruited.

During the afternoon also noted the Rotterdam municipality that the electoral law was violated in some places. So it went wrong in Delfshaven and Feijenoord, where several people were standing in a voting booth.

Even during the campaign, it was sometimes hard-on-hard between the Labor Party and Livable. In some places was a real slice war '. Foto: Flicr, Jaccodotorg

At some polling stations were replaced with complete teams. Replacing members of the electoral committee did not give explanation. In some polling stations show wardens now ensure that people only vote.

But according Buijtenland there was much more going on. There would be recruited vote, with authorization forms.

“De mensen het stemkantoor binnen met een machtiging, where only one signature is on. Then the people of the polling station will fill the rest of the mandate. " (Ronald Buijtenland, Radio Rijnmond 03-03-2010)

The city of Rotterdam announced that they have received the signals of Livable, but officials have seen no shoddy permissions.

In other polling stations would have hung posters of the Labor Party. That's not allowed. The poster has been removed. The municipality could not confirm that hung posters, but if it be true then that 'absolutely forbidden'.

recount

Irregularities - the word "vote fraud" was just not put in the mouth - hung after or as dark clouds over the present. Liveable party leader Marco Pastors Calls for a recount of votes.

"The difference is so small, and today we have seen the unrest in the polling stations. I assume that the mayor makes for a recount of the votes. " (Marco Pastors, Radio Rijnmond, 03-03-2010)

The party can call itself the biggest, the formation talks can begin. The other party is likely over the next four years to sit in the opposition.

A look back at the election by Jacco van Giessen Radio Rijnmond (2010).

Hoe ging het verder?

Mayor Aboutaleb saw at first no reason for a complete recount. It happens in Charlois and Hilligersberg-Schiebroek, but in the turn but Hillegersberg 3 of the 21 ballot boxes to be counted correctly.

The press Aboutaleb to leave again count all votes is increasing. Even former mayors Opstelten and Pepper say in the AD that a recount is important "for trust in politics'.

A few days later Aboutaleb tacks. In a large hall of the Erasmus University are recounted all the votes. That happens eight days after the election.

The next day the final results. The difference 651 voices in the Labor Party has become even greater advantage, is apparent from the recount. The difference is 754 stemmen in het voordeel van de Partij van de Arbeid.

Toch was daarmee niet het hele verhaal afgerond. Er duikt een geheime e-mail op van Ronald Buijt (Leefbaar), calling to approach as many people, which possibly would not go to the polls. Then dives also stories that the Labor Party four years ago about doing the same. A month later, let justice know that there is no criminal investigation.